A/N: The wonderful world of Exile (Avernum) remains the property of Jeff Vogel and Spiderweb Software. I promise to return to the game unharmed the following people: Captain Vidican, Gridley, Ian, and Arum; and places: Fort Ganrick and the Nephilim tunnels and fort.
After a good rest, Jenneke and his platoon got up, gathered their things, and headed off to the east, following the map that they had retrieved from the dead leader of the nephilim raid on the fort. Near the nephilim settlement, they saw that a guard had been set: eight goblins, perhaps a hundred feet away when both saw the other.
"Damn," said Jenneke. "There goes the surprise factor."
"Get them fassst," said Thissa. "Before they tell."
"Right," said Jenneke. "Let's go, boys."
Seeing the aggressive reaction, the goblins moved with what looked almost like reluctance, picking up their crude weapons, as though resigned to a quick, horrible death. Just such a quick, horrible death, was exactly what was delivered, and then Jenneke looked at the map again.
"We need to go that way," he said, gesturing toward what looked like a blank cave wall.
"You sure?" said Nigel.
"Look closer," said Jenneke. "It's got to be there. See here?" He showed the map to Nigel.
"They're not much for artwork, are they?" said Nigel. "Who can tell how close that is? Going to be a long time, feeling against the walls this close to the kitties."
"You got a better idea?" said Jenneke.
"Not really," said Nigel.
As they got closer, they could see that the cave wall was quite uneven and jagged, and some of the holes even looked large enough for humans. Thissa grumbled mightily, as sliths tended to be larger than humans, and he did stand nearly a head taller than Jenneke, and scraped a few scales on the way through the holes.
Once inside, they met up with a small group of goblins around a fire, wholly unprepared for an attack, and they wiped out the goblins quickly. Moving ahead, not really sure of what they would find, they came into what appeared to be a nephilim graveyard. Burial mounds for deceased nephilim warriors ringed the room. From the intricacy and size of totem carvings, it appeared that this was where the most honored dead were laid to rest.
"Go back another way?" said Jenneke.
"I don't know," said Feodoric, "it looks like that might be a way into the fort itself. I need a closer look."
As he moved closer, an electric feeling filled the room, and slowly, nephilim zombies and skeletons slowly crawled out of the burial mounds, to slowly shamble toward the group.
"Damn," said Jenneke. "It's a trap."
"Not much of one," said Brother Michael, finding that the undead fell back to the ground with an ease which almost made him think they were illusionary.
"Well, that was interesting," said Nigel. "Now what?"
"There's a door here," said Feodoric, continuing ahead now that the undead were dead again.
"And spiders over there," said Jenneke. "Forget the door for now."
The spiders, large enough that, were they tamed, might have served as horses, were apparently very hungry. Feodoric threw magical flames into their webs, which went up rapidly, and burnt the spiders.
"Crissspy ssspidersss," said Thissa. "You cook your food, isss good?"
"Not in the least," said Jenneke. "Look, you eat your raw fish, I don't care, mine is going to be fried. But spiders, well, that just goes too far."
"Look at these claw marks," said Brother Michael. "We'd better explore a little more, or we might find ourselves as sandwich filling."
They rounded the corner, finding several half-eaten human corpses, and a nest, but even worse, two baby hydras were approaching.
"Damn, I think they're kidnapping people and feeding them to the hydras," said Jenneke.
"Maybe there isss no mama," said Thissa, after they found no larger hydra attacking.
"Or we just got lucky and she's not home," said Jenneke. "In which case, I don't plan to be around when she does come back. Besides, we're here for kitties, not ... er ... hydras."
"They are lizard, but not like usss," said Thissa. "I am not hurt."
"All right," said Jenneke. "We ready to go on?"
"Ready," said Nigel.
Opening the door, they found themselves in a guard room, manned by more goblins with a single nephilim overseer. These, too, were quickly overcome, and they saw a portcullis ahead. It had crude writing scratched on the surface, and while it was reasonable to surmise that it was a question, the details could not be told.
Jenneke looked back at the map, and on a hunch, said, "Ghath."
"You sound like you're coughing up a furball," said Nigel.
"Yeah, sure," said Jenneke as the portcullis slowly and noisily slid open. "Shit, that's loud."
"Hopefully, they not exsspecting usss, watching front gate mossstly," said Thissa, moving to ready his spear.
"No one's rushing this way," said Jenneke. "I guess that's a good sign."
Carefully, using the techniques of guerrilla war that they had learned from the army, Jenneke's platoon made their way through the mushroom farms and corridors of the fortress, until they found a place where the prisoners were held for a time. The place stunk mightily, and as they opened the first cell, it was clear that they had arrived days too late to help. In the next cell, however, there was a tired, bruised man wearing the tatters of an Avernite army uniform, slumped against the wall, struggling to stand as Jenneke and his group entered.
"I am Arum," he said. "Gods, am I glad to see you. Shall I be freed at last?"
"How'd you get locked up here?" said Jenneke.
"Graham and I were cut off from a patrol and captured. We've been prisoners for awhile," replied Arum.
"Graham?" said Thissa.
"He was in the next cell. He died a couple days ago, poor sod. We talked in the night. When he passed, I was on my own," replied Arum. "I was ready to die, too. But now, at least I have hope."
"What did you talk about?" asked Jenneke.
"Our lives, our dreams. Some strange blue stone Graham found in his cell," replied Arum. "What we wanted to eat when we returned to civilization. Just passing the time and trying to stay sane."
"Where were you patrolling from?" said Jenneke.
"Out of Fort Ganrick," replied Arum. "That's where we were stationed. The kitties brought me in through a back entrance. They didn't blindfold me too well, and I saw they went through this gate that opened when they said 'ghath'. That's the way I'm going to try to escape through."
Jenneke glanced at the others, and said, "Well, we're here on another mission, but we can take some time and rescue you."
"Have you slain the chieftain yet?" asked Arum.
"Nah, haven't found him yet," said Jenneke. "That's our mission though."
Arum shook his head and said, "I'm safer here. While that vicious monster is alive, I'm not going to go where he can hunt me down." He pointed north, and said, "I've overheard the guards. The nephar who runs this place usually stays in the chambers up there. I hope you can deal with him. Avenge me! Avenge us!"
"All right," said Jenneke. "Here, we'll lock you back in."
"Take this," said Brother Michael, putting some of the food and the weak wine that they had 'liberated' from nephilim stores. "Get a proper meal while we're away."
"Thank you," said Arum.
The group continued, and finally found the nephar chief they had been sent to deal with, and after a fierce fight, slew him.
"Just to make sure that we get credit," said Jenneke, and he took an axe from the place where the lizards were kept and hacked off the head off the dead nephar.
"Here'sss a bag," said Thissa, and Jenneke stuffed the head into the offered sack.
Searching the area, they gathered the chief's special treasures, and then returned to the cell where they had left Arum.
"All right," said Jenneke, "we got the chieftain. Now we're here to rescue you."
Arum stood up, refreshed by the food the platoon had left him and the news of his liberty. "Thank you," he said, moving to the open cell door. "I will return to my brigade now. Or what is left of it. Thank you for my life, and for avenging the death of my friend."
"It's nothing," said Jenneke. "Come on, let's get back to Ganrick."
Helping Arum, they returned to Fort Ganrick, and dropped Arum off at the barracks while they continued on to the office of Captain Vidican.
"Captain?" said Jenneke, as she was busy working at her desk.
"Sergeant," said Cecile, looking a bit tired, "you have something to report?"
"Ma'am, we have slain the nephar chief," said Jenneke, taking the head he had hacked off as proof, and handing it to the captain.
"Well done, adventurers! You've earned ten times this for the service you've done for this area," said Cecile. She handed Jenneke a sack of gold, and said, "This ends your work here. Good luck to you."
"Ma'am, is there anything else we can do for you?" said Jenneke.
"Normally, I would tell you to head to Silvar for more orders. However, since the magic barriers appeared, you can't get back there. So, until they are gone, explore," said Cecile. "And if you can find a way to remove those barriers, please do so."
"Definitely," said Jenneke. "Any ideas for where to look?"
"Formello. It's the largest city in these parts, and powerful wizards live there," said Cecile. "Perhaps they have some idea about what might be done to lower the barriers. In the meantime, you are free to continue using the quarters issued to you when you come up this way."
"Thank you, ma'am," said Jenneke.
"Dismissed," said Cecile.
Weary, they made their way back to the quarters they had been given and rested until they felt ready to take on the abuse the world was prepared to heap upon them.
"Well," said Jenneke, leaning back and stretching, "we seem to be at liberty without anyone to give us orders. So, what would you like to do?"
"Why don't we head down to Fort Draco?" said Feodoric. "It's close enough, and maybe there's a few more rumors that we can pick up about these barriers."
"Not to mention," said Michael, "there will be an opportunity to get some better weapons. I know they still have their forge, and if the barriers are cutting us off from Dharmon, it's probably the best place."
"Dharmon? Shit, that's awful far," said Jenneke. "Even without the barriers they're all talking about. After that, I think I want to go on a look see and see these things for myself."